


The Trial of Five Phases

by bking4



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Summons, first great ninja war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25231945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bking4/pseuds/bking4
Summary: The Village Hidden in the Leaves is still newborn, and yet war looms on the horizon. It threatens the newfound peace the ninja clans of the Land of Fire have found. Sarutobi Hiruzen must become better. He must become stronger. He must ask his ancient allies for help, if he hopes to survive the coming struggles. The question is, will they help him?





	1. Chapter 1

There’s a disturbance in the leaves unlike the rustling of the wind or the movement of the wildlife. It’s a subtle thing, insignificant except that in this moment it means everything. He exhales slowly as he counts out five heartbeats and then his body moves, motion almost beyond his control. The natural reaction of a predator facing off against its prey, he slides through the movements without conscious thought.

Leap, block, trap, slice.

Gasp, gurgle, thud.

The blade is wiped of blood. He laments, for only a moment, that he once again does not have a chance to truly let loose. To unleash the fire in his soul, burning just beneath his skin. He aches to become a whirlwind or an earthquake. He dreams of becoming a storm, lightning and piercing rain intermingled. Any opportunity to truly test his strength against a worthy foe would be welcome.

He watches and waits for a moment while he ponders before leaning down to inspect the body. There are whispers of foreign nin taking severe precautions, rumors of extremists booby trapping their own bodies to ensure they take out as many enemies as possible with their death. One he’s certain it’s safe he moves in and dresses down the enemy, quickly and efficiently, with a skill born of long practice. The mask is removed to reveal an ordinary looking face. Brown hair, one green eye open while the other is closed. The corpse’s pale white skin is stained a deep red with the blood still dripping from his neck.

“Dammit,” he mutters. He rips the dead man's sleeve off and swears again when he sees the brand on his forearm. It is most definitely not an insignia used by Village Hidden in the Clouds. It looks far too much like the mark found on the Bloody Mist Hunter Nin. Also known as exactly the kind of ninja that really does not belong this far North.

One way or another this can only lead to more pain and bloodshed. If word of this nin gets out — no, when word of this nin gets out, because he can’t assume this is a rogue agent and he can’t hope that this knowledge won’t spread like wildfire — it will be terrible. If his sensei had worried war was on the horizon before, now he’ll be certain of it.

_Once again_ , Sarutobi Hiruzen thinks, _it looks like my sensei is right. Tobirama will never let this go. Maybe I should enjoy the easy kills while I can._

* * *

  
He alights upon the training ground, his father landing gently behind him. Tobirama along with his brother Hashirma, Hiruzen’s teammates, and Danzo are all already there waiting for him.

“Is now really the best time to go, monkey-butt?” Danzo jokes. There are a lot of jokes like that flying around these days, morbid jesting at the prospect of utter annihilation. No one knows what battle on the scale looming ahead will be like; the Warring Clans were terrible. Hiruzen grew up on those stories, but no clans have ever made any alliances even half so far reaching as a Village.

There’s an undercurrent of fear that permeates every word, every action, every thought in the Village. Everyone is reacting to the mounting conflict in different ways. Drinking, indulging in hobbies, crying themselves to sleep at night.

Training. Training so hard his muscles give out and his fists bleed. Before the sun rises until long after it falls beyond the horizon, only stopping when he has no chakra left to spend.

That’s what today is all about, taking his training to the next level. “There’ll never be a better time than today, Danzo. Who knows how long our peace will last?”

“No more talk of sad things, now. Today is a happy day! Sarutobi Hiruzen, you are the first summoner in your family in a long while, and if all goes according to plan a new peace is upon us. We should rejoice! Perhaps our peace will last forever? I have high hopes that this upcoming Summit of the Five Kage should prove very fruitful," Hashirama says, as he seems to be an endless font of positivity and joy. Tobirama's ever deepening scowl in response isn’t even a surprise. Sarutobi can’t help but feel a surge of affection for his sensei.

“I still feel the Summit is a mistake, brother. I have told you—.”

“Sarutobi Sasuke!" Hashirama interrupts his brother, ignoring whatever naysaying had been on the tips of Tobirama's lips. Tobirama lets out a light sigh but does not continue his advice as Hashirama bowls over him. "Thank you for allowing my brother and myself to teach your fine young son. Speaking from experience, he has been the best pupil any shinobi could ask for!”

"I could not have asked for any greater teacher's than the leader of our foundling Village, the creators of our great peace," Hiruzen's father inclines his head in deference as he speaks.

"You flatter us! Now, Hiruzen, do you have the scroll?"

“I do. We went through the ritual last night. I am officially the next Sarutobi Summoner.”

“Good! This training trip shall be a boon to you. If you’re lucky, those chimps may even teach you to be a Sage like me; then you and I can have a proper spar!!”

"Please don't accidentally kill my student, brother." Tobirama's dry remark leaves Hiruzen smirking.

Hiruzen deliberately ignores the nasty look on Danzo’s face at the praise and attention he’s receiving. Their rivalry is long standing and Hiruzen is sure he’s worn a look just like that the last time Danzo bested him in a spar. This training trip is more important than their rivalry could ever be, though. It may be the edge he needs to survive the coming war. More importantly, it might give him the power to ensure his comrades all make it back alive as well.

He centers himself and reaches for the pool he feels deep within, ever swirling as it sends chakra out along his pathways and absorbing the energy back into itself as it flows through him. A deep breath and he begins drawing on his power. It responds quickly and eagerly, willing to surge forth at his beck and call the way it always does. Casting ninjutsu is almost second nature to him and he's practiced this so much over the last 12 hours that his hand signs are almost as easy as breathing.

He is still meticulous with his hand signs, regardless of how comfortable he is. It's still a new technique and he doesn’t want to mess it up.

_Dog, Boar, Bird, Monkey, Ram, Summoning Jutsu!_

A small puff of smoke accompanies Hiruzen’s Summoning, spreading out from the sprawling black script that now adorns the ground. The presence of the chakra smoke irks him; his control is meant to be better than this. He’ll need more practice with this particular technique.

Before them stands a small red and grey furred macaque.

“A Summoner for less than a day, and already you’re calling on us? What could you possibly need?” His voice is high pitched and mocking, almost screeching in its tone. The little monkey drags its hands down its face, pulling his lower eyelids down as he implores Hiruzen. “And what’s with the audience?”

Hiruzen locks up his embarrassment deep within himself, contenting himself that at least he has a Summons, unlike Danzo who is now smirking at this unexpected turn of events.

Who would have ever expected the monkey to be so rude?!

Hiruzen bows deep and low to his soon-to-be guide.

“Honored Macaque, I thank you for accepting one such as myself as your Summoner.”

“You’re a Sarutobi, aren’t you? We always take a Sarutobi when they ask. That’s our ancient pact.” There's a pause in his speech, and Hiruzen detects a reticence, a wariness before he continues almost in a mutter "Although, we haven't been asked in quite a long while."

Hiruzen ignores the heat that rises to his cheeks at that admission. He has spent the last twelve hours believing that when the blood of his signature had settled the night before it meant he’d been accepted on his own merits. He has been trying to convince everyone around him to accept him for his own skills rather than his family’s name and the stories of legends long past ever since he was put on a team under Tobirama-sensei.

“I have Summoned you today because I have a favor to ask of you, not on my own behalf but on the behalf of my entire Village.” He flexes every muscle as he keeps himself in place, his body tightening into a statue as he refuses to let his embarrassment move an inch from his deep bow of respect.

There is silence, then, in the training ground. He wonders, for less than a second, if all his companions and friends have abandoned him to the mercies of his new Summoned companion before he uses the rest of the senses at his disposal other than his sight. He hears their low, even breathing and can nearly smell the tension in the air, the light wafting of their sweat an indication of their worry for him. Their chakra signatures are all around him as well, none of them bothering to smother themselves completely while within the safety of the village.

Well. Relative safety.

“Help, is it? What help could we offer? What do you need of us? Perhaps more importantly, what do you ask of us?”

“Training, Honored Macaque.”

“Oh ho? Is that so? Well, that might be arranged. Let me see you.” The monkey reaches out and grasps Hiruzen by the chin, pulling at his face while his torso remains bowed so that the monkey can stare him in the eyes.

“Hmmmm. There’s potential, I suppose. We’ll have to see, won’t we?” A grin spreads its way slowly from one furry ear to the other. Suddenly there is a puff of smoke that encompasses the whole training ground. When it clears, the macaque and Sarutobi Hiruzen are nowhere to be found.

“Well, he was an odd fellow, don’t you think?” Hashirama laughs out loud while Tobirama massages his forehead.

“Please don’t make light of the fact that my student just disappeared with a mysterious monkey. Worse, all we can do is hope that he’s safe and returned to us in time. We don’t know how long until the war breaks out in earnest.”

“Don’t be such a worrier! Everything will work out well and your student will be home safe and sound before you know it!”

* * *

  
Hiruzen expects the transportation to be disorienting. He mentally and physically prepares himself for all manner of discomfort. For example, the Substitution Justu gives many people an odd sense of being disoriented both while it is being performed and for a short period after. Ninja train diligently to curtail their natural response to the effects of Substituting themselves somewhere else in space.

Yet, the Reverse Summoning is not at all uncomfortable. It is not much of anything, to be honest. It happens in the moment between heartbeats, lasts no longer than the duration of a blink. One moment he is in the forest, the next he is watching the smoke clear around him as he finds himself on a small rocky ledge. His next breath is tight from the thin air, as are all the ones that follow, and he doesn’t have much room to stand.

Looking down off the face of the ledge shows him a sheer drop downwards. He tries to peer down as far as he can, even going so far as to channel chakra directly through his eyes in an attempt to see better, clearer, farther.

His vision is blocked by a layer of thick, fluffy clouds. He is quite high up, it seems.

He cranes his neck upwards to see how high the cliff face extends. His vision is blocked by another layer of clouds.

Well then. Either he is stuck or it's going to be a long trip.

“Been here only a few seconds, and already lollygagging around? Ha! You’ll need to work harder than that if you want our help for your Village!”

The macaque is dangling from a protruding rock, grasped within one hand. His message given, he flips himself around then begins to scramble up the mountain. Hiruzen sighs but rubs his hands together as he begins to circulate chakra into them.

Just like tree walking. It's a simple exercise: climb the mountain. He is tempted to walk straight up it, parallel to the ground, if only to stick it to the monkey for mocking him. But no, he has to keep his temper in check. The Will of Fire is a double-edged sword, he knows that all too well. What’s worse, without any knowledge of how high the mountain reaches, he has no clue how long he’ll be climbing for. Better not to fall due to arrogance.

Hand over hand, ledge by ledge, he climbs. He becomes bored soon enough and begins reciting the Shinobi Rules his sensei has taught him. When that becomes too tedious, he begins counting instead in an attempt to see how high he can reach. With each new handhold a number, he finally stops counting when he reaches well into hundreds. He allows his mind to wander, a meditative state coming over him as he runs through breathing exercises in time with his climbing gait.

Anything to keep his thoughts away from the growing ache in his arms with each stretch, the dull throbbing in his legs, interrupted with a sharp staccato of pain every time he has to leap for a new handhold. The sensation is not debilitating, merely a nuisance slowly filling his awareness. If only the climb were a challenge, with difficult handholds or tricky maneuvering, there would be something to engage his mind and distract him from the slowly building rawness of his palms as the coarse mountain wears away at his skin. But he has climbed more difficult trees, in his time, and the only challenge offered here is monotony and a test of pure physical prowess.

His chakra surely helps ease his pains, circulating over and through his body, but he seems to climb forever. Does this mountain ever end? He wonders, briefly, if he will climb so high he will ascend into the heavens. Do the Monkey Summons live next to the Gods?

Sore and exhausted, he grabs onto a hold and pulls himself up, surprised to see not another small ledge, but a cave. An optical illusion in the way the mountain is formed has kept it from his view. He hefts himself up and in, rolling onto his back. He takes a moment to simply breath.

Then he swivels and kicks up to his feet before running through the stretches that he knows will soothe his aching body. Breathing and relaxing is nice, but cramps and soreness are not. The small macaque that has brought him here is sitting on a rock, silent while Hiruzen works.

“Are you going to stand here all day, or are you ready to continue? If you’re this lazy all the time, I don’t think we’ll be able to train you, Sarutobi.”

Fire burns in his gut, the single sign he needs for a Great Fireball Jutsu tickling at the tips his fingers. He will not, cannot allow himself to be baited. Yet his Will of Fire demands he protect his pride; it burns and crackles just beneath the surface.

He is not lazy! No matter what anyone says, no matter the “genius” label people apply to him, he works diligently on his skills. In order to be the best shinobi he can be, he has to sharpen the natural blade of his talent on the whetstone of sweat and determination.

He cannot allow this tiny monkey to tempt his anger and get the better of him. He grits his teeth instead and clamps down on the raging inferno within that attempts to break through and realize itself in swathes of burning chakra every time he is reduced to “just another genius.”

“I am ready at your leisure, Honored Macaque.”

“Oh, so polite! Who taught you to grin and bear it so well, shinobi boy, eh?” The little imp has a grin stretching from ear to ear and a laugh that scrapes the inside of Hiruzen's skull, more a screech than anything else.

The little monkey leaps towards him and lands on his shoulder. “Onwards, my steed!”

Hiruzen only rolls his eyes as he walks deeper into the cave. When the light begins to finally dim from the outside such that he can no longer see, he doesn’t pause in his step before remedying the situation.

He has many ways he can deal with the darkness. The Cat’s Eye Jutsu, the Earth Style: Blind Like A Mole Jutsu, but in the end Hiruzen settles on something that might allow his little passenger to see as well.

Never a bad idea to make a good impression or earn the favor of his new partners, regardless of how annoying they are. His chakra coils within him, and he pulls on it, dragging it out. His fingers flit between a few well-known hand signs, and he clicks his teeth together once as he breaths out a steady stream of flame. He passes one fist through the stream, circulating chakra throughout the tenketsu in his palms and on his knuckles. He allows the nature of his chakra to come to the fore as he feeds it to the flame. The flame drinks greedily, and he forces the flow to slow and peter out into a manageable draw rather than a sucking inferno.

The flames flicker, floating just above his fingers and casting shadows on the cave walls. A gentle warmth suffuses him, one he hasn’t realized he’s been missing as the cave cooled the deeper he trekked into it.

“Finally, something useful out of you!” The monkey cackles from his place on Hiruzen's shoulder, swatting at his head. Hiruzen keeps his grumble inaudible, continuing to walk. He hopes all the monkeys aren’t like this one.

The winding, treacherous path of the cave gives way to sharp turns and jutting stalagmites he has to traverse, but after the face of the mountain it's more a welcome game of balancing and leaping than a struggle. He is utterly shocked when after one particularly sharp and towering formation he stumbles out into the sunlight.

A light whoosh accompanies the sputtering out of the flame as he takes in the scene before him.

Paradise.

A huge waterfall splashing down into a serene pool, droplets of water spraying into the air and teasing at a glittering rainbow under the gleaming sun. A field of grass spreading out from the pool, with monkeys of all shapes, sizes, and breeds scattered about. They are running, jumping, climbing, and playing in an ever-swarming mass of fur. The field turns into forest. A forest! Shinigami take him now; this mountain has a valley deep within it large enough to hold a forest!

The ridge of the valley also has many monkeys running around it, although they seem to steer clear of one particular section, cordoned off by two large identical chunks of stone.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” the monkey on his shoulder cries. “We have a ways to go yet, and it won’t do to be late!”

“Where to, Honored Macaque?”

“Behind the waterfall! Aren't you supposed to be skilled? How good can you be if you’re not even observant!”

“Your home is so magnificent it took me of my senses, Honored Macaque. And I feel safe with you by my side. I won’t allow it to happen again.”

“Flattery!” The little monkey drags upon his eyes again, pulling the lower lid down in a dramatic pose. “That’s the last thing we need!”

The monkeys, big and small, part around him as he walks toward the waterfall. It seems as though they are always just out of reach, coincidence or happenstance keeping them from knocking into him as they jump to and fro. Not in any noticeable way, at first, but his suspicion tingles and his curiosity is piqued. He doesn't trust it, curious despite himself, and begins a little test. Something small to prod at the inkling of a thought he has. He takes a deliberate turn that will lead him to intercept a small group of monkeys that shouldn't be able to notice him at all. He tenses lightly, ensuring he can dodge at the last moment because he knows they definitely can't see him coming and he doesn't truly want to stumble over them.

Not a single furry body impacts against him, and not once do they make it look anything but natural.

Impressive.

The waterfall crashes into the pool, sending ripples throughout and spray into the air, the water stilling the further out he looks. As he gazes, he realizes it’s more of a lake than a pool, spreading deeper into the valley than he’d thought. There is a second waterfall, falling out of the valley rather than into it, dropping off into the distance. A larger waterfall than these he has never seen in his life, and he has watched his sensei — who can create tsunami's and rainstorms from nothing in the desert wasteland that is the Land of Wind — perform the Water Style: Heavenly Waterfall Basin Jutsu in the Land of Whirlpool. He thought he would never see anything so magnificent and yet Hiruzen thinks this waterfall might be the source of all rain throughout the Elemental Nations.

The closer he gets the louder the water splashing into the lake becomes until it is an all-encompassing roar. He can feel the rumble in his skull and through his body, awe inspiring in its magnitude. He reaches out with all five of his natural senses anyways, trying to hear beyond the deafening crash of water on water. He strains and is inwardly pleased when he hears an odd echo, obscured by the raging of the water but faintly perceptible with enough focus. A secret cave, then, just as the Macaque has said.

He gauges and leaps, chakra enhancing his distance and strength as he soars straight through the water. Inside the hidden cave is an even more fantastic sight than the forest and grass valley that hid its location. A gigantic bridge of iron stands before him, leading towards an ornate stone palace. The palace is crafted in such a way that it seems to be fading back into the edge of the cave, or perhaps carved out of the cave itself. It stands imposing before him, seeming to loom high as it looks down to judge him.

“Well?” His companion asks as he leaps from Hiruzen's shoulder to the ground to walk under his own power. The small macaque looks over its shoulder, one eyebrow quirked. “Are you coming or not?”

With the blind faith that can only be mustered in the face of all his most fantastic bedtime stories coming to life, Hiruzen follows.


	2. Chapter 2

He treks across the bridge and enters into the stone palace. It is most definitely impressive, made more so by the face that everything is carved from the stone of the cave. Even still, the artistry is far and beyond anything Hiruzen has experienced before. Furniture, light fixtures, artwork and decorations among the walls - all intricately worked stone. With soft tapestries thrown up to add color here and there, it does truly feel like a palace fit for the Daimyo, or maybe even for someone more important. Hiruzen knows the Sarutobi clan is hailed as heroes throughout the Land of Fire, but they have never been a considered noble. They are not like the Senju or the Uchiha, nor even the Hyuuga. They possess no aristocratic features and have never dined with great lords. He feels entirely out of place in this Stone Palace, and for the first time he fears the Monkeys may truly decide he is not worthy.  
  
He is brought into a great hall before a swarm of monkeys even larger than the one outside, all of them jumping and clamoring. There is one figure, though, who sits silent and still above the rest. He is tall, cutting an imposing silhouette even while hunched over with a bored look upon his face. Hiruzen is ashamed to say that at first glance, he thinks it is a statue carved out of the same stone it rests upon which is shaped like a throne. He sees the pinching of the eyes and the pursing of the lips, though, and knows this monkey is dangerous, more so than any he has met until now.  
  
"Welcome, Sarutobi, to Blossom Berry Mountain. I am the King Behind the Waterfall, the Ruler in the Stone Palace, the Exemplary Sage who Comprehends Paradise." His voice is like the rumbling of a landslide down the face of a mountain. Hiruzen knows this because once, on a mission, Koharu used an Earth Jutsu which accidentally caused an avalanche of rocks down a cliff face. As usual, it had been up to Hiruzen to save their civilian client from his impending demise. Although, truth be told, the voice of his host makes Koharu's accidental rock fall sound more like the scattering of a few pebbles in comparison.  
  
Hiruzen may not be noble, but he knows his manners both as a man and as a shinobi; he has been trained in them all his life. He falls quickly and seamlessly into the most textbook perfect bow he can muster, lowering his eyes and his body to show his deference. "I am Sarutobi Hiruzen, great King Behind the Waterfall, and I am here to present myself as the new Sarutobi Summoner!"  
  
"Says who?" At the simple question, Hiruzen's heart stops for a beat, possibly two, until the hulking ape continues. "Have I observed you? Have I accepted you? Who are you to say that you can represent us among the Elemental Nations without our consent or approval?"  
  
A million things flash through Hiruzen's mind, then. The weight of his ancestors bearing down on him, the hot flash of betrayal from his guide the macaque, a burning rage that this _beast_ thinks it has the right to judge him. What comes out of his mouth, however, is none of those things as he does his best to keep himself under control. _I am the moon within the sky, placid and stalwart in my journey,_ he thinks to himself, a thought exercise he learned from Hashirama.  
  
"I beseech you to reconsider, noble Ruler in the Stone Palace. I have journeyed here to beg your aid, and am willing to undergo any test you set forth. My Village is in dire straits."  
  
"Oh ho? Is that so, young Sarutobi? You think you have what it takes to meet my standards?" Hiruzen tamps the lid upon the boiling pot of his fury, roiling along with myriad other emotions, and grinds his teeth so hard he feels his jaw lock in place.  
  
How dare this creature question him? He will be the greatest ninja to ever come out of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, which is undoubtedly the strongest of all the Hidden Villages! This war will prove it, for Hiruzen will be on the front lines cutting a bloody swathe through his enemies, leaving the terror of his name in the heart of his foes! He will be fearsome, and all will tremble before him, even this petulant, swinging ape! Hiruzen's fingers twitch towards his kunai, ready to leap, to slash, to prove to this arrogant fool that he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, will be the god of shinobi!  
  
There's a surge of panic at that thought, as Hiruzen recognizes emotions not his own coursing through him. He has honed his control over his emotions over years of practice. His Will of Fire burns brightly, he knows, and he still has issues with his rage, but he has long since killed his hubris under the light of self-reflection. Too often is he given thoughtless accolades to truly believe the praise other heap upon him.  
  
God of shinobi? Danzo would never let him live it down if he ever seriously called himself that.  
  
Hiruzen flexes his chakra just so, a fluttering of spikes to disrupt whatever has overtaken him. It does nothing and Hiruzen has a moment of panic and self-doubt that perhaps those were his own thoughts indeed, until he brings his hand into the symbol for release. He has not needed such concentration to dispel a genjutsu in years, but this is no ordinary foe.  
  
This is the Exemplary Sage who Comprehends Paradise. This is the Monkey King.  
  
The grin that spreads across the hulking primate's face is terrifying in its fierceness. The arrogance leaves him, as does the smoldering rage he feels. To salve his pride, he decides that what's left of the terror he feels is merely a healthy dose of respect.  
  
"Good," the monkey rumbles. "I wondered if you'd ever catch it. Since the moment you entered Blossom Berry Mountain I've worked against you; remember that in our world, everything is a test. Being a shinobi is about more than strength, boy, it is about subtlety and stealth. Genjutsu is often the first and last line of attack for a shinobi. But you seem adequate, and it is not my area of expertise either."  
  
Hiruzen, who has suffered under a genjutsu cast by an Uchiha, quails to think what expertise might mean in this creature's world if that insidious infliction of emotion is anything less than exceptional. He has no time to linger on this thought, however, for the monkey's hulking form shifts as it stands and stretches upwards, letting out a yowl that splits his ears.  
  
"Now, child, to the second phase of the test. Had you been paying attention, you would have seen this bell upon my waist. Your goal is to take it from me. If you do not, I shall strike your name from our Summoning Contract and take it from your family forever. If you succeed, you shall earn the chance to learn from me. We shall test the next great ninja skill now: Ninjutsu." With that he curls down slightly and then leaps high into the air, gusts of wind propelling him higher than Hiruzen has ever imagined something of that size could fly.  
  
Hiruzen has just enough time to imagine Tobirama staring sternly at him and lecturing _you must look underneath the underneath, Hiruzen. A shinobi must anticipate the next moves of his opponent before the opponent has ever considered them_ before he sees the big gulping breath that the monkey takes. Hiruzen leaps and only just barely manages to dodge out of the way of the blast of fire more than three times his size that comes billowing forth.  
  
Hiruzen has always imagined himself a well-rounded shinobi. He is fully aware that his natural chakra inclination is towards fire; his chakra courses through his veins like liquid heat, burning and searing its way around and through his tenketsu. But he has endeavored to master at least one jutsu of all five natures. A water bullet is always a fun surprise against an enemy who sees you throwing out smoke and flame like you were born to it. No better defense can be found than in an Earth Wall or the Hiding Like A Mole Technique. Nothing cuts sharper than the wind or pierces like lightning; having every tool at his disposal is just good sense.  
  
Any jutsu he performs that is not a fire technique requires exacting hand signs from him, and he only knows one or two at most. With many of his fire jutsu he can decrease the number of hand signs necessary, mostly the ones dedicated to focusing chakra rather than transforming it. But his hand signs to draw up chakra and force his chakra into a nature that it finds unnatural must be precise and flawless. This is true of every person he knows who has mastered more than one element, and especially true for any who has mastered all five elements.  
  
Though he is not on the level of mastery that Senju Hashirama or his sensei Tobirama are, he takes solace in the fact that he is paring down the number of hand seals slowly but surely, at the same rate he is learning more varied elemental ninjutsu to catch up to his idols.  
  
His goal is to one day need only a few handsigns for any element he learns, no matter it's nature, so that he too might be feared as a master of all five chakra elements. He wishes to be able to proudly say that he can perform any jutsu known within the village.  
  
How wrong he is on the nature of mastery.  
  
The mythical creature before him weaves his way from element to element as though he is born of them. Fire to water, earth to wind, with lightning dancing in between them all. He skates across the stone floor with fire at his heels and wind at his back, lightning crackling between his fur before arcing along jets of water that burst forth and shoot out at Hiruzen every time he pauses to take a breath.  
  
This is not to say Hiruzen is only on the defensive. He gets more than a few good hits in, but nothing that comes close to cracking the implacable, determined set of his opponent's face. His fingers twist and turn through as many jutsu as he knows. He is Substituting more than he is running, creating as many clones as he is able, and every time he thinks he has an opening to get near the bell hooked upon the giant's waist he throws his all into whatever elemental technique he knows is opposite and stronger than whichever element is bombarding him in the moment.  
  
Unfortunately, the longer the fight goes on the less flexibility he has. The assault increases, it’s pace quickening and the onslaught only growing fiercer. Soon enough he has no room to think, only to move and dodge and counter. He can only manage the time to perform those scant few fire techniques that are as easy as breathing. If he can’t perform it in three hand signs or less, he doesn’t have time to use it at all. Finally, after what feels like ages but can be no more than scant minutes, he sees his opportunity and he takes it; he casts the one elemental ninjutsu he can perform without any handsigns, hoping to shock his opponent.  
  
_Fire Style: Firestream!_ he thinks with a smirk as he breaths out a small jet of flame. He doesn't pause to look and see if the monkey is surprised, there's no time, but he chooses to imagine his opponent is gob smacked.  
  
His triumph is dangling enticingly right before his eyes as a tight stream of screaming fire blasts against the rock and produces a dark, heavy smoke that billows out into the hall. The flame isn't so hot or powerful, being only a C rank jutsu, and it creates far more smoke than flame on impact, but it is the first elemental ninjutsu he ever learned and he has never quite been able to give it up.  
  
He uses the cover of the smoke to dart in and leap. Hiruzen knows a joy like no other when he feels the brush of steel against his fingertips. The faintest _ting-ting-a-ling_ of a clapper in its home taunts him mercilessly. A sharp _crack_ is followed by the briefest moment of darkness and unending agony as the monkey brings an elbow down upon his back.  
  
"Enough. I suppose that is as good a transition as any to switch into the last of our ninja arts, Taijutsu. Remember, desperate leaps leave you vulnerable when you cannot reposition yourself. You should have had a Wind Jutsu ready to propel you away from my attack. If you cannot use a jutsu quickly and effectively, you shouldn’t be using it at all."  
  
Hiruzen may be dazed, but even in his delirious state he can feel the yearning for this power. This, here, is why he signed the contract and came to Blossom Berry Mountain. Childhood stories of heroes and myth made ever more impressive for the sheer truth he can see in them now that he is faced with their progenitor. The stories of his grandfather’s grandfather, fighting side by side with his ancestral allies the monkeys. Hiruzen wants this power for himself and for his Village.  
  
"Up. The test is not yet finished."  
  
His body groans, exhausted under the loss of so much chakra in so short a time, but he forces it up. He has weathered more than this for less in his own training regimen, and he will not be intimidated. He will impress this monkey and become his student!  
  
He leaps forwards, not back, to meet this new challenge head on. Hiruzen's opponent is stronger, faster, and more experienced than he is. He does not lose hope, though, and he weathers the assault he invites with his reckless lunge forwards as best he can. His focus shifts slowly from retrieving the bell to matching the monkey, until slowly he can think of nothing but survival.  
  
Sweep, leap, lunge, roll.  
  
Block, weave, dodge.  
  
Again and again they clash, trading blows back and forth across the stone floor. Then he sees it. Like a ghost of a memory, he sees the move the monkey is going for, knows it like he knows that water is wet and that fire burns.  
  
All his life, he has been told fantastical stories at bedtime of the last great Sarutobi Summoner, his grandfather's grandfather. His favorite story includes a tale wherein his ancestor had bested an Uchiha who was attempting to use the secret Monkey Movement Taijustu he had stolen mid battle. His forefather kept one particular technique in reserve, waiting for just the right moment. When the time was right, and his ancestor saw the Uchiha attacking with a devastating blow which _the Monkey King was about to perform,_ he used this one particular lunge and trap move which turned the tables on the Uchiha. Hiruzen fell in love with this story as a child and forced his cousin to practice that particular set of Movements until they were second nature to him. He has aspired to be like his ancestor, and of all of his taijutsu movements this counter is now his most seamless.  
  
He thinks none of this as his body moves on its own without conscious thought, the Movements burned into his muscles, and he feels a moment of pure elation as the balance of power shifts. He does not cry out in exaltation, he does not whoop in joy, he merely reaches out quick as he can towards the bell, eager to prove his worth.  
  
There is a blur of movement, then suddenly they are reversed in place, and Hirzuen has no idea how he has ended up in this position. The monkey rumbles above him, Hiruzen isn't sure if it's a laugh or a sigh. This is not how his bedtime story had always ended, and Hiruzen can’t help but feel slightly betrayed.  
  
"Stand, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Face my verdict." Hiruzen moves slowly, agonizingly aware of every aching bruise and sore joint on his body, but rises tall in the face of his judgement. "I have bested you in the three ninja arts. I have set out for you a simple goal, which you failed to uncover yourself. Have the Sarutobi fallen so low, that you have nothing to offer that might impress me? No Sarutobi has summoned us in many years. We had thought you had forgotten us, but we find instead your kin is likely too weak to sign our contract and sustain us in the Elemental Nations. That is the only conclusion if you are all that they have to offer."  
  
His fingers press into his palms, and he refuses to look down to see if he's drawn blood. He feels humiliated in the face of his idol, the towering figure of his childhood dreams, and he can say nothing in his own defense.  
  
Could he have worked harder? Studied longer? Trained more fiercely? Of course he could have - that was the whole point of this trip! To receive the training he needs to get to the next level! Apparently, the next level is so far beyond him that he might never reach it, a thought which irks him to no end.  
  
"As per our deal," the monkey continues "I shall be revoking your clan's right to our Summoning Contract. As you are currently the only person alive who has signed it, be pleased that in this instance your failure affects none but yourself. On the battlefield you likely won't be so lucky." He snaps his fingers, and there's an undeniable flare of chakra that sends a shiver of regret straight down Hiruzen's spine.  
  
Hiruzen stares at the face of the ape before him, figuring the monkey might actually be made of stone for all the emotion he shows at so casually destroying the entire legacy Hiruzen's clan has cultivated and treasured. He tenses his body tight as he forces it once more into a bow towards the King.  
  
"Your Majesty the King Behind the Waterfall, Ruler in the Stone Palace, the Exemplary Sage who Comprehends Paradise. I thank you for this opportunity to learn from you and apologize for my faults!" He is terse, nearly shouting by the end of it but a shinobi must show no weakness, Shinobi Rule #12. He does his best to attend to his sensei's rules but cannot always adhere to them so strictly. Now is one of those times. As he hears a low rumbling once more emanate from the hulking beast he is bowed before his mind lingers, oddly enough, on his sensei Tobirama.  
  
_A mind is a terrible thing to waste, young Hiruzen. It is a shinobi's greatest asset. Outthink your opponent, and you have won before even lifting a finger. You must look underneath the underneath._  
  
_Remember that in our world, everything is a test._  
  
What motive does the King of the Monkeys have for terrorizing him so? Is this still a test? If so, what is he looking for in Hiruzen that he hasn't yet seen?  
  
As quickly as he's ever thought, Hiruzen runs through everything he knows of being the perfect shinobi. He thinks of his father and the stories of his great-grandfather. He imagines Tobirama and Hashirama standing before him lecturing him, teaching him, struggling to get some kind of instruction through his occasionally thick skull. He imagines his rival Danzo, his teammates, and his Village all cheering him on.  
  
He sees the face of dead men killed by his hand, lying bloodied on the soil as he wipes his blade clean of them. The visceral sickness he had felt the first time, and the next, and every time since at the necessity of his actions. The deep, unmoving determination to do the unthinkable so that he might protect the things he holds dear.  
  
Suddenly, it is all so simple. He straightens his spine out of his bow, nary a few heartbeats after he has announced his respect to the great ruler before him. "Hear me now, Monkey. I will return to my Village, and I will fight in our war. I will grow, and learn, and become better than I am as I stand here before you. Upon our victory against the other Villages, I will begin a new quest: I shall search you out. No secrets shall the world keep from me until I finally find the Blossom Berry Mountain once again. You don't have to cast me out now, as I willingly leave, but know that I shall return.  
  
“Upon my return, I will challenge you again. You need not wait in suspense, as I lay the challenge before you now. We shall fight once more, in each of the three main arts of a Shinobi. When I defeat you, you will return the scroll to me and contract once more with the Sarutobi family. You will come when we call, and you will swear to defend the Village Hidden in the Leaves as partners of the Sarutobi clan."  
  
Throughout his speech the monkey's low grumble increases ever so slowly in pitch and volume, until Hiruzen is nearly shouting his challenge and it's terms into the face of a beast which could likely strike him down with no more effort than it takes to swat a fly. Has he miscalculated? Will this be the end of him?  
  
The growl breaks out into a roar, and Hiruzen flinches until he realizes it is not a battle cry but a laugh which bubbles forth. It resounds throughout the great stone hall they stand in, and like the pebble dropped into a placid lake the crowd of monkeys, apes, and primates of all sizes joins in. Laughing, braying, screeching, they're all jumping for joy. "Good. I was concerned you were actually about to leave. I would have been disappointed with you, young Sarutobi, if you didn't have the grit I was looking for. You may stay. We shall teach and you will learn. And when you call, we shall honor our ancient pact and answer."  
  
"But the scroll-!"  
  
"Is fine where it is. A simple fluctuation of chakra in an unusual way, and you were sure to draw the conclusions I wanted. You have much to learn in the way of subterfuge, young shinobi. But you are wounded, now, from a battle hard fought. Your skills are acceptable as a starting place. We shall begin with the rising sun."  
  
"Will you be teaching me yourself?"  
  
"I shall stop in on occasion to check your progress. I have a vested interest in those who would claim to be my students, after all."  
  
"May I know the name of my teacher, then, rather than just his titles?" Hiruzen knows it's impertinent to ask, but his curiosity is not unlike an inferno within him!  
  
"My name is not a simple thing to be bandied about. It is an honor to even know it, one you have not yet earned. Being able to speak it is a privilege reserved for the one I call partner. We have yet to see if you have what it takes to even learn my name! But enough of such somber talk! Tonight, we feast! Koji will show you where you will be staying during your training. Get ready, Sarutobi. We won't go easy on you!" For the first time since he's arrived, Hiruzen sees the Monkey King truly smile. A joyful grin spread across his face that goes quite literally from ear to ear. "Now, who has got my sake! Yokuto, are you trying to hide it from me again? Give me my liquor, whelp!"  
  
With that, he leaps away, effortlessly graceful. It's still rather shocking to see something that size move so smoothly. A little weight alights itself upon Hiruzen's shoulder and he is too tired to flinch at it, either emotionally or physically.  
  
It's his macaque friend from earlier.  
  
"Nice to see you passed, boy! My name's Koji. Sit with me at the feast, I'll make sure you get all the best food! But no sake for you, we start your training bright and early tomorrow morning!"  
  
Hiruzen only nods, not even upset at missing out on a well needed drink. This is why he's come here. He's succeeded.  
  
He will become the greatest shinobi the Elemental Nations has ever seen.


	3. Chapter 3

His days blur together until time seems to lose all meaning. Has it been a week? Has it been two? How many months has he spent in Blossom Berry Mountain, nestled within the Stone Palace, learning what the monkeys have to teach?  
  
More frightening than not knowing is not caring. He loves it here. He has always loved the Village Hidden in the Leaves, it is his home, but there is something about the Mountain that speaks to him. He feels as comfortable here as he does back in the Village, and truthfully that terrifies him. He treasures his Village, never could have imagined that anything could come as close to his heart as the family of his home, and yet there now resides a special place for the Mountain as well.  
  
"Well of course!" Koji replies when he explains his misgivings. "You're a Sarutobi; you belong with us! But you also belong in the Elemental Nations. It's not easy belonging to two places at once. It's why most Sarutobi Summoners choose not to spend much time at the Mountain. They end up wanting to stay!"  
  
"Well who wouldn't want to stay with me?" the Monkey King replies when Hiruzen brings it up one day after he has finished his training. They are sitting on a rock jutting out from a ledge at the edge of the valley, looking out at the sky beyond. It is the spot they do most of their talking, on those days where the Exemplary Sage who Comprehends Paradise deigns to speak with him. "My home is nearly as great as I am. I was shocked that your grandfather had the strength of will to stay for so long and still manage to leave. No one has stayed so long as he has."  
  
Hiruzen doesn't interrupt, because he learned very early on that one does not simply interject with their own thoughts when the Monkey King is speaking. But he can't help but wonder when his grandfather had ever come here, and how! His grandfather's name was not listed upon the Summoning Scroll!  
  
"Sarutobi Asuma was a great man, and you should be proud to have him for a father. I just wish he came to visit more often, though it doesn't surprise me that he won't although he managed to leave the last time he was here, he almost did not. I would think if he came again it might be a permanent move."  
  
"He isn't my grandfather, sir."  
  
"Oh? Has it really been that long? Asuma Sarutobi is your grandfather's father?"  
  
"He is my grandfather's grandfather."  
  
The King is quiet then, for a long few moments. Hiruzen worries that he may have upset him, that he may be ejected from his training prematurely. Instead, the Monkey King sighs. "I had known it was a long time, but what is a few decades to an immortal? The lives of humans are so short as to be almost inconsequential. I feel they truly would be insignificant were it not for how brightly some of you burn. Be wary, young pupil, that you do not burn so brightly or quickly that you run out of fuel prematurely."  
  
They sit in silence for a few more moments, Hiruzen waiting for his new mentor to bring up a some new, hopefully more comfortable topic.  
  
"Tell me about your lineage, child. I would know of the Sarutobi who had shunned our ancient pact."  
  
"I do not know why Asuma’s child, my grandfather’s father, never signed the contract. I also never met grandfather Daichi or his father Ichiro. They were killed in the final skirmishes of one of the great wars back before we had Villages” Hiruzen leans back against the stone and allows his eyes to close as he brings forth the powerful images he’s always imagined of those great battles long past. The bedtime stories of his youth, once held in such awe and reverenc, are now tinged with more than a fair bit of scorn born of careful consideration. Having war loom on the horizon makes epic battles feel less heroic, and more somber.  
  
He took a breath, and then continued, “My father, Sasuke, was raised by his uncle, Eiji. Eiji always warned him about the great and powerful nature of our monkey allies, telling him bedtime stories, which were eventually passed down to me. Eiji said his father had forbidden him from signing the scroll as the younger sibling, and Daichi had not yet reached the age of majority. Hiruzen fists clench as he prepares to tell the Monkey King of the next bit of this history.  
  
“Mere months before my father would reach his majority, which would let him assume his role as head of the clan and sign the contract, Eiji struck a deal to enter the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Part of the deal Eiji made on my father’s behalf to join was that my father Sasuke wouldn't sign the contract. There are stories that abound the Land of Fire, and likely beyond, telling of your skill and might. The other families were wary that we might call upon you and the rest of the monkeys to wrest power and control of the Village for ourselves once all the clans were contained within one location." Hiruzen hopes that a bit of flattery may go a long way towards pacifying the rage he’s sure the Monkey King will feel at being used as a bartering chip among humans.  
  
It doesn’t seem to soften the blow at all, unfortunately.  
  
The growl that escapes the King's mouth makes Hiruzen's hair stand on end and he rushes to assuage him, "every family had to give something like that up! The Senju and Uchiha each contributed heavily to our stores of knowledge on jutsu and healing, openly available to all residents. Medicine and strategy books written by the Nara, recipe books and chakra theory from the Akimichi, psychology from the Yamanaka. We all made sacrifices of secrecy for the greater good!"  
  
"Hmmmm. I'm not so sure your Village is such a good idea. It seems to take from the Clans all their secrets, but what does it give in return?"  
  
"A home," Hiruzen utters softly, before he even realizes he's spoken. "A place to belong and live in harmony, in peace, unfettered by the fear that has plagued us for so long."  
  
Hiruzen hasn't quite lived his whole life in the Village. He remembers brief flashes of his early childhood, as the accords of the Village were being struck. He remembers even more vividly the fear that gripped him as he held on to his mother when she sung to him as a young child and whispered him promises of his father's return. He can clearly see the relief that etched itself onto her face every time she heard his call of "I'm home," upon his return from a skirmish or a battle with another clan.  
  
"Where has that peace gotten you, then? How long has it lasted? Is not your coming war so terrifying that you risked the peace you cling to by breaking the accord your father's uncle set? How long after the war has passed will they wait until they ask you to break you contract with my people?"  
  
Hiruzen must be imagining the bitterness in the old monkey's voice, so he ignores it in favor of answering. "Technically, I didn't. The agreement was specifically that my father wouldn't sign the Contract. Besides, my sensei is the brother of the Hokage, and the Hokage recommended I come here himself! They wouldn't ask me to break my Contract with you when they were the ones who asked me to sign it in the first place!"  
  
"You place that much faith in your Village, then?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
"I suppose we shall have to wait and see how things play out."  
  
Hiruzen's days proceed larch Ely in that manner. A strict training regimen of genjutsu, taijutsu, ninjustu interspersed with long, sporadic conversations with many of his fellow monkeys, and often with the King himself.  
  
He is subjected to so many horrors and so many subtle manipulations of his own emotions while training in genjutsu that he begins to question who he is, on a fundamental level. His tutors do not give up until he's positive of himself. He no longer jumps at shadows that seem too long but dispels them with ease and quickness. He experiences such sweet joy and bliss that he quakes at the addictiveness of a properly cast Genjustu. He wonders at how the Uchiha, with their special eyes, ever manage to live in the real world when their perfect fantasy lies so close within reach.  
  
Genjutsu is not and never will be his specialty but he will, in the words of his trainers, "be adequate or be dead." They have him practice and perform as many jutsu as he can, and even more that he can't. He knows the underlying concept for so many techniques, but many of them are beyond his grasp to perform. There is a particularly embarrassing moment when he attempts to ensnare one of his tutors in an advanced and fiendishly difficult genjutsu. He has talked it up as the move which will even the score for all the terror they subject him to, yet when he attempts it, it merely fizzles. He is not skilled enough to grasp the ghostly image and overlay it on reality.  
  
On those few instances when he dispels shadows in the dark which stretch ominously and yet they don't disappear, he is subjected to brutal physical training. He is the best in his clan at their taijutsu style the Monkey Movements, so much so that he has assisted in teaching some of the younger members of the clan when they are first starting out. Even though he has spent considerable time learning as many styles as he can under Tobirama and Hashirama, he has always considered himself something of the local expert on the Monkey Style Taijutsu. He had expected to be able to keep up easily on Blossom Berry Mountain  
  
How wrong he is.  
  
His trainers teach him that he was foolish to ever consider such a concept. Not only are his techniques inadequate by their standards, he does not even know the advanced moves! When they begin teaching him they place him with the children who are still just learning, and it rankles. Still, he puts his head down and powers through, working himself into an exhausted, unconscious slumber every night until he is considered acceptable.  
  
He watches, envious of the monkeys who are learning the sister styles to the Monkey Movements, many of which require the monkey to achieve a sage state. Hiruzen has seen Hashirama slip into a similar state a time or two and it is as awe inspiring as ever to see someone become so at one with nature that the changes manifest upon their body.  
  
He is not invited to join them, however, and he does not ask for it. He has bigger concerns. Namely, that the damnable apes won't let him join in on any ninjutsu practice! At least, not in any meaningful manner. That is truly where his strengths lie, in his opinion. Certainly, they will sit and discuss the basics of techniques with him, allow him to scrawl out upon so many scrolls the jutsu-shiki he has worked with his sensei Tobirama to learn and understand. He knows the hand-signs of so many different jutsu, has the knowledge of how they work, but has not yet been able to unlock their secrets enough to master them. When the monkeys all realize he has the knowledge, but not the ability, they allow him to expand upon the teachings he received from Hashirama on how to perform jutsu of all five nature elements. Hashirama had likened it to the taijutsu trainings they had worked on together where Hiruzen endeavored to learn at least the basics of all the styles known in their Village.  
  
Unfortunately, the monkeys laugh at his description when he explains it. Hashirama had made so much sense when he had described the way you take distinctly separate styles, but merge them all under the umbrella of Taijutsu. The way you need to stop seeing them as separate, but instead see them as one. A holistic approach that had brought him from a single sputtering earth jutsu to go along with the many fire techniques he could perform to now having at least one reliable, powerful technique of every element.  
  
He most certainly does not sulk after being laughed at, but he might admit to being less enthused than normal at their evening meal.  
  
The Monkey King visits him the next day to ask about the theories he has been explaining. He blushes furiously, but does his best to explain it, hoping that maybe a mind as great as his can understand Hashirama's genius!  
  
"That's absurd," is the Monkey King's actual response, and Hiruzen hangs his head lowly.  
  
"Hashirama is one of the best shinobi I know. How can you call his theories absurd?"  
  
"He makes a good attempt. All things being a part of the natural world, all things being one, it is a sound idea. But fire will never be wet. Water will never burn. Wind shall never crumble, and the earth shall never blow freely. Lightning strikes as it will, bending to no master. You must understand them each for what they are before even considering understanding them as a whole."  
  
"But aren't they all different aspects of the same thing? Don't they all represent a fraction of the sum of nature?"  
  
"Nature is wider and deeper than you could possibly fathom. There is a reason that he who becomes a sage does not automatically learn to perform any elemental jutsu he wishes. Likewise, someone who forces his chakra to be in tune with all five elements is not automatically a sage."  
  
Hiruzen sits and mulls this over, discontent with the fact that once again, the Monkey King is right. Hiruzen is learning so much, but it can be more than a little demoralizing to realize just how far behind he really is.  
  
"What is your standard for an exemplary ninja?"  
  
"Hmm?" Hiruzen rouses from his contemplation at the abrupt question from his sometimes mentor. "An exemplary shinobi, eh? Do you mean in general, or for me specifically?"  
  
"I do not care for any other warriors, only of the ones I teach. I ask for your standards."  
  
Hiruzen wants to respond quickly and earnestly, but forces himself to still. He lets his thoughts mull over the question.  
  
What would make him an exemplary shinobi?  
  
Obviously, he desires to be the best. But what might constitute the best? Should he desire to beat Hashirama or Tobirama in a fight? They are the best that he knows.  
  
Should he strive to be able to protect his Village? But what might that take? So nebulous a concept would not satisfy himself, let alone the Ruler in the Stone Palace.  
  
How does he quantify being the best?  
  
"I should like to be able to perform any jutsu known within the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Then, I will be stronger than any single shinobi in the village, strong enough to protect all of the members of my home."  
  
"You should like to?" The King quirks a simian eyebrow at him, mocking in its height.  
  
"I will be able to perform every jutsu known within the Village. Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Ninjutsu. If it is not a bloodline talent, I will learn it. I will master it. Even those that require a bloodline talent, I shall endeavor to master, if not to perform then enough to counter. That shall make me an exemplary shinobi, and with the skills of my entire Village residing solely in me, I shall be able to protect my Village and all the precious people in it."  
  
"An expected answer, but a good one nonetheless. Tomorrow we include the staff in your training regimen, in addition to philosophy. Work hard, child."  
  
Hiruzen's days continue to pass in a blur, but now his head swells and aches as much or more than his muscles. He has spent hours discussing the nature of shinobi, the nature of the world they live in, the nature of everything with Tobirama and Hashirama, with Danzo and with teammates. Yet not a single one of them thinks so twisted or in so many corkscrews as a monkey does. They make acrobatic leaps and flips from topic and theory as easily as they leap from branch to branch.  
  
His palms gain new callouses from the weapon which is thrust upon him. And though they teach him new things as fast as he will learn them, they drill him endlessly on the most basic of the shinobi arts.  
  
Hiruzen is beginning to seriously worry he may be spending too long on the Mountain. Does time move more quickly in the Elemental Nations than it does on the Mountain, is that why the Monkey King thought his grandfather's grandfather might have been his grandfather? Are his friends and family out there now, fighting the war in his stead, dying while he trains in safety?  
  
Has the war already ended? Has he missed it entirely?  
  
He has little time for such thoughts, but in the dark hours of the night before exhaustion sweeps him away he lies awake and these insidious fears threaten to devour him until he is drowning in terror.  
  
Finally, finally, on the day when Hiruzen has almost given up on the idea that he will ever be allowed to learn ninjutsu from the monkeys, the Monkey King takes him aside once more.  
  
"Sit, young one, and meditate with me."  
  
They sit upon the ledge overlooking the waterfall which seems to fall off the mountain and into nowhere, the place where most of their chats occur.  
  
"Connect with your chakra as you meditate. Tell me, does it settle differently?"  
  
"It feels like a campfire, crackling merrily, rather than the forest fire of my youth. It is calmer, more under control than it has ever been before. It feels as though it has grown deep, rather than wide."  
  
"I did not ask you how it feels, child, I asked how it settles. Weigh your chakra, feel it's balance."  
  
Hiruzen ponders the odd request, not one he's ever received before, until it strikes him. Of course! Chakra is made up of both spiritual and physical energy, and those two energies swirl together in a dance within him.  
  
He reaches deep to that pool of chakra which ebbs and flows within him, and allows himself to wade deep into it. How does it balance?  
  
Is it too light? Too heavy? Does it fight against him or move in tandem?  
  
Other than the faint crackling of heat he usually feels, he realizes he can hardly feel his chakra at all. It is obviously there, but it flows so smoothly through his pathways that he feels as though he would almost forget it was there. He channels some, just to experiment, and it comes as easily as breathing. In fact, he finds himself falling into a meditative breathing technique naturally, and the chakra he channels seems to naturally move in time with his breath.  
  
He opens his eyes to see his monkey mentor smirking at him.  
  
"It is in balance, almost perfectly so. My spiritual and my physical are in harmony."  
  
"Your training regimen has been designed to do so. Your yin and your yang are in balance and stronger than ever. If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the field and seek strength. You lacked both in sufficient quantity and had a distinct dependence upon your physical nature. We have ground that out of you. You should find few non elemental ninjutsu or most any genjutsu truly out of your reach now."  
  
With the quickness of one who is given great news too good to be true, Hiruzen's hands fly through the signs needed to cast one of the more difficult genjutsu he knows, the one which got him laughed at when his tutors had first been gauging his skills.  
  
 _Genjutsu: Living Inferno!_ he thinks as he sees the ghost of pitch black flames appear before him. He grasps the illusion tightly, giddy at his success as it settles over the Monkey King.  
  
"A good first attempt, I think," the Monkey King allows, calm as you please as though he doesn't have a genjutsu ensnaring him which makes him believe he's being burned alive by unquenchable black flames!  
  
Hiruzen is still amazed every time the Monkey King shows just an ounce of his never-ending prowess. "I can see it, of course, and you do a satisfactory job simulating the feeling of being burned. Yet I cannot smell the acrid scent of smoldering fur, nor can I taste the cloying smoke that I see. Remember, ability and mastery are two separate things. You must still practice any jutsu you can cast until it is perfect, and then until it becomes effortless. If you forget two such simple parts of genjutsu, I may need to speak with your teachers to ensure your education has actually been progressing as I've been told."  
  
The genjutsu is dispelled, and Hiruzen realizes he just held the _Monkey King_ under a genjutsu! Where his fur was burning! Apparently not a very good one, but he still feels the sharp pain of fear that he has gravely over stepped.  
  
"If you so choose, this will be the end of your training. You are better than you were, and I know you worry for your people. You have a war to fight. I have had my seers gaze into the crystals, a technique we do not employ often, and we see that your Village is safe. We cannot see the future, though. We do not know how much longer they have until war breaks out, and every day they seem to tighten their security and fasten their armor tighter in preparation for war. I surmise your Hokage's Summit was not successful. If you wish, however, we have one last thing we wish to teach you."  
  
Hiruzen holds his breath, uncertain what it will be but eager to find out what else they have to offer to entice him to stay.  
  
"Ninjutsu." Hiruzen admits, to himself at least, that he is at least a tad bit dejected that the answer is not "sage arts." It is only a fleeting disappointment, though, for the joy at the prospect of learning to truly master the five elements, to be able to make good on his promise of learning every jutsu his Village knows, it tempts him like none other.  
  
"The journey shall be difficult. More difficult than anything you have ever attempted. Your ancestor Asuma, the most recent Summoner we have had and the greatest we have trained, never succeeded. He only ever mastered three of the elements. I do not wish to get your expectations too high either. You shall never be able to wield the elements as seamlessly as I do, without hand-signs. But if you succeed in this trial, which I have faith that you will, your chakra will transform as easily to the other four elements as it does now to fire. No technique shall be beyond your grasp, and your knowledge of hand-signs will be a boon to you in your conflicts against other human shinobi."  
  
"What must I do, Exemplary Sage who Comprehends Heaven?"  
  
"You must undergo the Trial of Five Phases. You must understand and become one with each aspect, turn your chakra forcibly to each until there is no difference between you and the nature you wish to master. Do you accept?"  
  
Hiruzen doesn't even need to think before he answers, "I do."  
  
"Then let us begin."  
  
With that, the King Behind the Waterfall, the Ruler in the Stone Palace, the Exemplary Sage who Comprehends Paradise pushes Sarutobi Hiruzen off the Mountain and into the waterfall leading out into the great unknown.


	4. Chapter 4

Hiruzen falls.  
  
He falls, and falls, and falls until he has no idea if left is up or down is right or if perhaps for his whole life direction was merely a fantasy he clung to. Perhaps the world truly does not follow his preconceived notions of order or direction.  
  
The only constant in his life is the visceral, cold feeling of being soaked. The water that surrounds him as he plummets is ice cold, normally refreshing after a long day of taijutsu training but nearly painful while being surrounded on all sides in a freefall.  
  
He is almost pleasantly surprised when there is suddenly a new sensation, the feeling of a sharp _crack_ against his body as he impacts the surface of a large body of water and is propelled deep into its depths.  
  
It isn't a pleasant surprise, though, it is a painful explosion which overtakes him. He feels every ounce of himself break against the impact, more painful for the shivering that wracks his body as he is engulfed by the freezing depths of the water.  
  
He can feel the waterfall beating down even now, a never-ending torrential downpour which batters the water he sinks into, and it terrifies him. How can he ever swim against it?  
  
He can't.  
  
Not just because it pushes him further and further into the water's depths, but because he feels himself being sucked down as well as pushed. A current, deep within the pool of water he is attempting to swim free from, is grasping greedily for him, his gait no match against the great tugging flow.  
  
It is dark, within the waters bosom. He can see nothing, only feel the cold and nausea that is desperate to overtake him as he tumbles deeper and deeper into the current.  
  
His chest begins to ache, a sucking emptiness that gnaws at him as he struggles to keep his lips sealed. He tries to circulate his chakra through his lungs to allow what little breath he has to last longer, but he is already spending so much just to stay afloat, to fight against the slipstream attempting to drown him. He paddles, strokes, and flails, yet it is no use. He is stuck within the water, being sucked ever deeper.  
  
He recalls a meditation technique that Tobirama has taught him, he can't remember how long ago. To imagine you are one with the river as it rages on. Hiruzen thinks that if he's going to die, he might as well meditate to try and be at peace with his death. He stops his struggles and puts all his focus on circulating chakra to his lungs.  
  
Meditation is difficult when he cannot breathe to anchor his thoughts, so instead he follows the flow of his chakra. It thrums through his body in time with his heartbeat, and he brings all of his attention on that to attempt to block out the painful, swirling slipstream he is caught in.  
  
Around, around, around his body tumbles through the current. Slowly, though his throat begins to twitch and his chest begins to spasm from the lack of air, he lets his body relax. His lips held firmly shut as his body learns to flow with the water rather than against it, his mind turning into a dull, blank buzzing.  
  
Unfortunately, there's nothing left to do but open his lips. Chakra can do many things, but it cannot substitute itself for the breath of life indefinitely  
  
He has no idea how long this current lasts or how deep the water goes, so he resigns himself to drowning. He wonders if the Monkey King will tell the Village that he's perished? Will they weep for him?  
  
He is suffocating now, officially. He cannot breathe, his lungs are so full of water. He feels lightheaded, but he refuses to stop circulating chakra. He will stay alive as long as he can, though who knows how long that shall be?  
  
His eyes close lightly, the darkness of the water making it pointless to keep them open. He makes the decision to enjoy his last few moments.  
  
It is like riding the greatest ride he has ever experienced. More exhilarating than jumping from tree to tree, he moves sinuously as the water drags him about. It has worn him away until he is nothing but chakra and movement. Back and forth, like a great dragon he twirls. He imagines himself to be as graceful and as powerful as the current, his head so light he cannot tell if he is drowning or dancing. Is the water still dragging him or does it bend to his whim? Is he the maestro who controls this song?  
  
He sees a bright light from beyond, even behind his closed eyes, and knows that this is it. He is dying and shall reach his great beyond. Perhaps he was right, to think the monkeys lived next to the gods. They brought him to the lands beyond easily enough.  
  
He twirls within the current, moving it or being moved by it, ever forwards to his destiny. Around, around, around he swings, until suddenly he springs forth and lets out a great heaping cough.  
  
It's hard. It's firm. He still cannot breathe, but he coughs, and chokes, and splutters until the water comes surging out of his lungs. There is a dim glow in the cavern he is in, faint sparkling crystals lining the walls. The glitter back in the depth of the pool he was just ejected from. It is a pool of water within a cavern, connected to wherever he came from through underground tunnels, most likely. It coalesces into a whirlpool in this cavern.  
  
Hiruzen has the oddest desire to jump back into the eddy below. He misses the feeling of freedom and grace he had embodied in a way that surprises him.  
  
Who would have ever guessed he would miss drowning?  
  
But he has not yet begun the trial, he doesn't think, or perhaps he has only barely begun. Either way he is eager to finish.  
  
His body is sore all over, as though he has died and come back to life. Perhaps he has. But there is no way forward but onwards, he knows the current he came from well enough to know there is no going back.  
  
There is a tunnel, though, leading out from this cavern deeper into the stone. He runs through the stretches that he knows may alleviate his pain and can't help but smirk at the mocking he imagines Koji might give him for "lollygagging."  
  
A quick slap to his cheeks to give himself energy and he is on his way. The cavern is large, about twice his width and slightly more than his height. It is littered here and there with glittering gems that glisten and shine from some natural, internal source. He is fascinated by them and can't help but stare as he walks.  
  
He doesn't notice it at first, but ever so slowly the frequency of the gems decreases. He goes from walking in almost complete illumination to dim, nearly nonexistent light. There are now patches of complete darkness in between brief snatches of dim, beautiful light, before he leaves it behind for the darkness once more. The light incline has slowly become a steep climb, and he is  
  
It is his preoccupation with the light and the increasing angle of his ascent that keeps him from noticing the walls hemming in on him.  
  
He notices it first when he feels the ache in his shoulders from being slightly hunched over. He extends his arms to either side and realized he can no longer extend them out all the way.  
  
He contemplates heading back, but he knows there were no other exits in the cavern. The only way is forward.  
  
Step by step, he focuses on his breathing and the rhythm of his movements. He is smooth and fluid, moving like the burbling creek over a rock bed. Even as his space to move slowly shrinks he moves quickly, his steps sure as he progresses.  
  
Hiruzen stops just before he walks too far and becomes stuck. The path has become so narrow that if he walks any further, he may not be able to back himself out. He needs to move forwards, but how?  
  
He doesn't truly have the Chakra left to be able to cast any techniques for a sustained length of time, not after how long he circulated it through his body and lungs in his attempt to not drown. It is a brute method, but perhaps he can force his way through on his physical strength? He may still have enough chakra to enhance his blows.  
  
He is cramped, but his training hasn't been for naught. Even in the tight space his form is impeccable, long training at the cruel hands of his monkey overlords showing its value.  
  
He breathes in and out, over and over as he settles himself into a light meditative state. He is going for strength. For power. For precision.  
  
He lets out a strike against the wall and feels the reverberation and pain shoot through his knuckles and up his arm.  
  
In, out, strike.  
  
In, out, strike.  
  
Each attack against the wall in his attempt to open a pathway is strong enough to create a rumbling, and he feels himself getting closer and closer to creating a path to freedom.  
  
Unfortunately, in his excitement he begins to strike too quickly, moving smoothly through the motions, and the power he brings to bear creates a rumbling that grows in power. He realizes his mistake roughly around the same time that the cavern comes crumbling in around him.  
  
Once again, suffocation. Not, this time, the suffocation of breath being held, but of a limited space to live and breathe. There is not the ever-present fear of drowning with one unheld breath, but all the little breaths that steal just a little more time, piece by piece. There's pressure, too, similar but distinctly different to the torrential pressure of the watery current that had dragged him before. Just as uncaring in the face of anything he can bring to bear against it. But rather than a pulling and pushing, a twisting and turning, this is the unending crushing of overwhelming force.  
  
He struggles against his captivity. The rocks which weigh down upon him and hold him tightly in his grasp. He wriggles and squirms, and yet it is no use. He is well and truly stuck.  
  
Once more he feels the depressive surety of his impending death by suffocation crushing him beneath its heel. It weighs upon him as heavy as the rockfall he is stuck beneath.  
  
This isn't working. Hiruzen can struggle all he likes, and he's certain he'll eventually make some kind of progress, but by then he may die of old age. For certain, he won't get back to his Village in time, and will likely run out of air far before that as well.  
  
There's time before that will come to pass, though, so he takes a moment to sit. To think. To put to use the shinobi's greatest weapon.  
  
If many successive strikes create a cave in, and struggle won't get him out, what hope does he have?  
  
Overwhelming force?  
  
Can he be stronger than the mountain? Can he steel his will against the ceaseless power of gravity and the earth that surrounds him, keeping him buried, to force his way free?  
  
He has no leverage, no positioning, and not nearly enough strength.  
  
It comes down purely to time and dedication. Hiruzen has these in spades. The earth surrounds and stifles him, but he circulates chakra throughout his entire body. He forces himself against his surroundings in a battle of will and strength, grits his teeth and pushes.  
  
And pushes. And pushes. And pushes.  
  
Pain. A tense, straining pain that courses through his musculature. Tears spring to his eyes, closed as they are within his burial and his jaw locks in place. How long has he been pushing for? It must have been forever, and he desperately wants to just give in, give up, and be done.  
  
But he refuses to admit defeat in this struggle against his underground coffin. He doesn't feel it move but that doesn't matter. All that matters is his will against the world's, and he shall not give up. He shall not give in. He shall be -  
  
Victorious!  
  
Light once more comes bursting into his awareness! He has overcome the mountain, has conquered the earth itself to reach his freedom!  
  
He breathes the fresh air, finally able to take a deep breath rather than short, sharp gasps. He steps out and his gait is heavy, each footfall plodding down against the stone. He is on a plateau, somewhere, and there is a storm brewing. He sees dark thunderclouds roil above him and he can taste the ozone in the air. The hair on the back of his neck and along his forearms stand at attention.  
  
It is difficult. His whole being wants to move slowly and steadfastly, his body and chakra feel sluggishly strong. He sees a burst of lightning in the skies above at the same time he hears a warning crack of thunder. Loud enough to be the gods themselves screaming a battle cry at him. Then it is on him before he has time to prepare, another scream of blinding light that explodes next to him, too close! Too close, he feels it crackling over his skin as he leaps away. He bounds far and wide but it makes no difference.  
  
His body is tingling unpleasantly and he has no time to check the severity of the branching pattern that crawls across his arm because the moment his feet land solidly upon the earth he's springing away again as another arc of pure power crashes onto him. Once again he's far too slow but if he doesn't move, he'll die!  
  
He has not survived the deep depths and the crushing darkness only to be brought down so easily as this!  
  
He forces himself faster and faster, against the way his body wants to move. He wants to stand his ground, to fight, to play the long game and wear down his enemy. Unfortunately, his enemy does not care one whit about his desires and the storm is unrelenting. He cannot stand against the power of the lightning storm that surrounds him, so instead he dodges. He leaps. He pounces, he jumps, he _moves_ in any way that he can to outpace the lightning strikes.  
  
Hiruzen is getting faster, step by step and bound by bound, he knows that. He feels like he's learning to predict it, the unknowable rhythm that it strikes to. Every landing of his feet back on the ground is echoed by the thunderous boom that accompanies each lightning strike, and the lightning hits him less and less.  
  
It still hits him, though. It strikes and sizzles against him. He feels his energy lagging. He is bone tired, now, with nothing left. Yet he must keep going.  
  
The lightning is implacable, and he cannot dodge. Even moving faster than he ever has before, as he does now, it comes too quickly for him. He cannot dodge. He cannot stand against the storm.  
  
In the instant between one flash and the next, it comes to him; he must move with the lightning. It follows him along the plateau, will always follow him along the plateau no matter where he moves and there is nowhere to hide. He fears this battle may never end. He cannot outrun the storm; he cannot beat the storm; it will follow him to the ends of the earth.  
  
He must move with it. He plants one foot within the ground and digs in his heel, then plants the other one with it and crouches. He waits.  
  
One heartbeat. Two. Three.  
  
All he can see is blinding white light. It plows into him with a force unlike almost anything he's felt before, starting at the top of his head and traversing down to the tips of his toes. He holds his ground, standing open and exposed, on edge like a livewire. He grits his teeth as he feels like energy run around his skin. He can't take another hit like that.  
  
He's so close, though! He almost had it, he knows it! He bends his knees into a lower stance, raises his arms above his head and he waits.  
  
He doesn't wait long.  
  
There's the briefest moment of a tingle along his fingertips, only noticeable because he's looking for it. Is it even there at all or is it all in his mind? Can he take the chance to not trust his instincts?  
  
He has no time to ponder that because it's followed quickly by the crack of energy that flies its way down his arms. He’s lucky he trusted in his reactions, because his arms are already in motion before it can travel the rest of the way down his body.  
  
The lightning wants to move. It wants to leap, and arc, and crackle. It cannot, will not be still. Attempting to stand his ground against it will only cause him pain. Moving with it, keeping himself constantly in motion, however? That is a viable option.  
  
The lightning is expelled away from him and grounds itself among the plateau. It arcs along the ground in tiny skittering bursts of light as the skies shakes with the resounding boom of thunder. He readies himself and once more moves with the lightning.  
  
Again. Again. Again.  
  
It once more it strikes without pause and his confidence finally returns. Quickly on the heels of his confidence is his mirth. He is constant motion as he skips around the plateau, no longer in fear but in joy. Lightning skitters and leaps over and along his body as he accepts it into him and sends it out into the air around him and earth below him  
  
He dances with the blinding light, cackling as it crackles, his laugh subsumed by the resounding snap of thunder each time the lightning cracks open the sky.  
  
Until his foot slips.  
  
He is too close to the edge of the plateau and he skids slightly as he lands from a leap, arms extending to expel the lightning that circles through him with the energy of an eager puppy.  
  
He falls.  
  
His stomach leaps to his throat as he is suddenly weightless. He lets out a cry of fear and windmills his arms as he feels himself slipping. He is saved by a gust of wind so powerful it knocks him back onto the plateau, bumping along the rocky plane.  
  
He hears it now and can't fathom how he hadn't heard it before. The thunder has stopped, but the dark clouds still roil above and there's still a dull roar rushing in his ears. The nature of the storm has changed; it’s a windstorm, now, not a lightning storm. It swirls around the edge of the plateau in a whirlwind. A localized tornado hemming him in to the arena. The rumbling of the wind is deafening and Hiruzen falls once again into a stance to defend himself against the undefendable.  
  
His body aches, shivering and sore and smoking all at once. He feels as though he can barely stand and yet feels the end of his Trial must be near.  
  
It is with surprising speed that a gust of wind buffets out of the whirlwind and blows towards him. A gale three times his size, at least, which threatens to bowl him over.  
  
He prances as he had when moving with the lightening and yet this is not a single arc; he cannot dodge. He feels the cutting wind open him up as it blows him away, slicing his skin.  
  
He tries to hold his ground, to be firm where the wind is fluid, yet the wind will not be halted. He tries to fight against it, but there is nothing there to fight. It is ephemeral as it cuts across him, buffeting him this way and that.  
  
He is disoriented, left askew, floundering as he is shred to pieces by the howling wind that hounds him. He feels as though he has nothing left to give, he is on the verge of admitting defeat.  
  
The wind attacks him once again, and he allows it to hit him. It sends him spinning, spiraling away as another gust comes surging forth. He lets that one hit him as well, twirling him back again. It doesn't hit so hard or cut so deep when he lets it overtake him. With that simple though Hiruzen can't help the madness that gurgles forth from his lips in giggling fits.  
  
The gales continue their assault and he lets go, completely, eyes closed and light on his feet as the wind turns him back and forth, this way and that. He twists and turns and tips and twirls around, around, around.  
  
He's laughing again, high and deranged. He knows how he must sound but no one is around to hear him and so he lets his mind go along with his body. He is freedom incarnate; he is joy and air and the wind in Spring. The screeching winds are no longer angry and fierce but giddy and gay.  
  
Hiruzen is gliding and dancing in circles and spirals, in smooth lines that cross over each other in figure eights as he slides and skates. He barely feels his feet alight upon the ground before he's up again. He alights upon the ground, gentle as a feather, and opens his eyes. The center of his plateau has once more changed. It is a bed of hot coals, glowing deeply red. It is an eerie sight, the way the coals glimmer when contrasted with the dark clouds above. Also, for the first time in what feels like forever, he is not alone.  
  
The Monkey King stands before him, arms crossed upon his barrel chest. Koji stands upon his shoulder, a wide grin stretching across his simian face. He goes to smile at them, takes a step towards to greet his friends and allies. He wants to crow and shout about his victories against the elements, and also shout and rage against the Monkey King for pushing him off a cliff! But the set of the Exemplary Sage who Comprehends Paradise's face gives him pause.  
  
"You have passed four of the five tests in the Trial of the Five Phases. You are to be commended." His voice rumbles deeply and there is the slightest curve to his lips. Hiruzen is buoyed to see that he has performed admirably. "There is one phase left. It shall perhaps be the most difficult. If you do not pass it, the consequences shall be dire. You are near to mastering all five of the elements. If you do not master fire, however, the elements shall lock themselves from you forever."  
  
Hiruzen is momentarily speechless. He grits his resolve, however, and cannot help the briefest glimmer of hope and confidence.  
  
 _Fire is my natural chakra element. This should not prove too difficult!_  
  
"What is the test, sensei?"  
  
"First, you must stand on the coals." He waits until Hiruzen has done so. The coals are pleasantly warm against Hiruzen's feet as he naturally distributes his balance and feels the sweat pricking at the soles of his feet protect him. He doesn't even need to channel chakra to protect himself. Once he is centered the Ruler in the Stone Palace continues "Good. Now, don't burn."  
  
Hiruzen's world is ablaze.  
  
It springs up from the bed of coals beneath him and he feels a momentary, instinctual panic that every person feels when set on fire. But he is of the Land of Fire, was born to uphold the Will of Fire, and he knows the flames like an old friend. This is nothing more difficult than the chakra technique he used to light the cave for Koji when they first arrived at Blossom Berry Mountain.  
  
He has so little chakra left, but he has enough for this. He begins circling it to his tenketsu, throughout his chakra pathways and out into the flickering red orange heat that suffuses the air around him. He feeds his chakra to it, slowly so as to not let it all be gobbled by the greedy flames.  
  
He begins to worry when he feels the popping of embers which land on his skin and burn him. He begins to panic when, as he feeds more and more chakra to the flames, he still only smells the sizzling of his hair being singed off. His sweat is evaporating, and he is pouring as much of his small reserve of chakra as he can into the fire that surrounds him, but nothing changes.  
  
His chakra won't burn.  
  
He lets out a wail of frustration and fights against the impulse to leap out of the coals. He refuses to jump to safety, far from the inferno he was born to. The fire has been with him and a part of him all his life, and even though it's now betrayed him he won't run from it at the first sign of trouble.  
  
The flames begin to smolder and burn his skin as he stands within them, weathering their harsh ministrations. They care not for his willpower, and he lets out a scream of frustration and rage. He uses it to fuel his chakra, and it comes out angry and boiling but still it won't burn.  
  
What more does he _need_? It has always been so effortless, the casual grace with which his chakra has ignited. What more could the flames ask of him? Do they desire all that he has to give?  
  
Of course they do, he realizes. The fire is all consuming and all devouring,. It burns ceaselessly, transforming everything it touches into ash and smoke. So, what more could Hiruzen give?  
  
Everything.  
  
He craves the comfort of his lifelong companion, the fire that burns deep within his gut, and he puts all that he has on the sacrificial alter to the inferno which surrounds him. Every ounce of chakra he possesses he channels forth, allowing the blaze to grow larger and fiercer. It sears against him but rather than scaling back he pushes forth, careless that he'll likely fall into chakra exhaustion from his foolhardy attempt.  
  
The fire wishes to grow, and he wants to grow with it! No one can control the flames, only feed them. The fire will only cease when all has been burned at the pyre of his Will.  
  
Just as he feels consciousness leave him, Hiruzen feels the lick of embers and the touch of the blaze flicker around him like a cool, gentle kiss.  
  
He accepts the darkness that sweeps him up with a smile on his face. He has not lost his Will of Fire.


	5. Chapter 5

He lands in a forest with no more disturbance than a gentle breeze through the leaves. He is secretly delighted to find that he instantly feels at home in the lush green foliage. He leaps, swinging and bounding up a tree to the highest branch so he can quickly scout the surrounding area.

He's home.

Well, he's in the Land of Fire, anyways, and he has a vague idea of where he is. He knows which way the Village is, at least, and that's good enough for him. He's about to head straight there, oddly curious as to why the Monkey King didn't send him back directly to the Village, when he stops in his tracks.

Battle. This deep in the Land of Fire? He knew it was bad, had gotten daily updates from the monkeys, but knowing and experiencing are two separate things. He feels the deep, burning rage begin to well up within him at the threat to his village. He is off before he even realizes it in the direction of the battle.

He alights on the ground and takes out an enemy with his landing. A kunai to the neck from behind as he lands, he pulls out the blade and wipes it as he looks up from his crouch on the back of the corpse and sneers at the battle. Instantly, he recognizes a losing fight. A three-man squad from his Village, previously four but there's a corpse laid against a tree, up against two four-man squads.

Although with Hiruzen's kill, there's now only seven enemies. He doesn't even look at the headbands to know what Village they belong to as he leaps into a fray, a genjutsu weaving its way into the minds of as many enemies as he can reach. He wants to set them all aflame with imagined black fire, but subtlety is the shinobi's best friend and he has not yet lost the entirety of his surprise. Instead, he increases their worry and their nerves. A nervous shinobi is a dead shinobi.

One of the nin on his side is a Hyuuga, he can tell with a glance at that pale skin and flowing form. Hiruzen knows the Gentle Fist style well, it was one of the many forms that Hashirama had forced him to train in while working together. Luckily, this means he can seamlessly slip into combat without disturbing the flow and rhythm the Hyuuga has developed against two of the enemy nin. As a result his own Monkey Movements are a boon rather than a hindrance to the Hyuuga.

Hiruzen is able to leap and dodge around his new teammate. He sees the tensing of the muscles and recognizes an incoming Heavenly Rotation at the same time he feels one of the other nin break his genjutsu. He quickly leaps out of the range of the Hyuuga's technique, then darts after the two enemies. One of them attempts to twist in the air to strike out at him, and he smiles as he responds in kind.

He's seen their headbands, now, and finally notices the insignia of the Bloody Mist. He flicks through a few handsigns and lets out a water jutsu to instill some fear in the remaining nin. The enemies and his two allies momentarily pause as he performs Water Style: Raging Waterfall. He relishes in the look in their eyes as he stands over the drenched remains of their drowned allies with one more lying bloody in his wake.

 _That's right_ , he crows to himself _you aren't they only ones who can use Water Jutsu!_ This is his home, so they better damn well expect a fight!

Rather than running away as expected, the foreign nin grit their teeth and leap to attack his comrades. An Uchiha, it looks like and -.

Danzo!

Danzo is here and too invested in the fighting to notice him as anyone other than an ally, but Hiruzen feels his Will of Fire churning in his chest at the sight of his rival in peril. Danzo is fighting the nin alone in a terrifyingly fast taijutsu battle, and the Uchiha leaps back as he sees a new group of enemy ninja arrive on the scene. One of their members already has his hands flitting through a dizzying array of handsigns and the Uchiha is attempting to copy them.

Unfortunately, Hiruzen recognizes more than a few Hare and Horse signs in the technique, with at least one Snake and two Monkeys. A lightning technique, second most common in the Bloody Mist, and a jutsu focused for speed. The Uchiha may be able to copy it perfectly, but the enemy's technique will surely land first!

Hiruzen darts in as these thoughts fire in rapid succession, his own fingers forming a few much quicker handsigns. He lands right next to the Uchiha and finishes his Earth Style: Earth Wall to defend his comrade.

There's a screaming howl that lasts less than a second as lightning arcs and scatters against the wall. Hiruzen flits through a few more handsigns, closes his eyes to further sharpen his hearing and other senses, then whips out a few punches at the Earth Wall he created, sending Earth Style: Rock Cannon Balls hurtling towards his opponents.

He leaps over the edge and sees Danzo becoming overwhelmed in taijutsu and leaps to join the fray. He hears the sharp _whip_ of a kunai flying through the air, and a Wind Style: Forceful Gust is enough to push him out of its trajectory. Now falling rather than leaping, Hiruzen throws a kunai of his own and only smiles when it seems as though it'll miss the enemy nin.

A Substitution with the kunai puts him back up in the air, and Hiruzen harries the enemy down to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye Hiruzen sees the Uchiha and the Hyuuga have worked together to pen in their remaining foes. Danzo is gearing up for a Wind Jutsu, and a nasty one at that. Well, Hashirama and Tobirama are always harping on about teamwork. He best play along.

The one Bloody Mist nin who Hiruzen had Substituted behind attempts to take him down once more, but Hiruzen herds him into the mob of remaining Bloody Mist nin while watching Danzo work.

Duck, Kick, Jump, Inhale.

Mold, Exhale, Burn.

His Fire jutsu barely touches Danzo's wind before it explodes into a raging inferno, a blazing burst of fire which reaches high to the heavens. When the smoke clears and the heat dissipates, there is nothing left of the enemy squads.

The Uchiha and the Hyuuga both turn to him at once, and Hiruzen can see the incoming interrogation in the set of the Hyuuga's noble jaw and the malice of the Uchiha's gaze before through their battle haze they both recognize him as _comrade, ally, friend_.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen! Are we glad to see you, we might not have made it out alive if not for you! When the second squad showed up, I thought we were done for! We didn't even realize there was a third one on the way as well, that would have been a disaster."

"Ah, I'm just sorry I'm late."

"That's right you're late! Where have you been the past two months, we've needed you!" For a heart wrenching second, Hiruzen fears that Danzo may truly hate him now for missing the first two months of the war. "And watch where you point those Fire Jutsu, you dolt! You nearly took my eyebrows off!"

"Ah, Danzo, I think he did take your eyebrows off." Hiruzen is always shocked to see an Uchiha smile, but he has never been quite so happy to see such a sad excuse for a grin as he is in this moment.

"You see! You need to be careful! And we need to get to the village. We have important intel for the Hokage."

"Yes, let's. I'm anxious to get back to the Village."

"Oh? News from the monkeys?" Danzo has a gleam to his eye, a greediness at the prospect for help. How much worse has the war been for those who have fought in it compared to what he's heard from the monkeys? He is almost afraid to ask.

"No news. They gave me what I asked for: training."

"I'll say they did," the Hyuuga speaks up, in the gentle aristocratic lilt all Hyuuga possess. "You flit seamlessly between jutsu of all five elements, strong ones at that. It seems your training paid off."

"Then what's the rush, eh monkey-butt?"

Hiruzen smiles at the no longer quite so insulting nickname. He can't help but grin at the thought of the Monkey King's reaction if he were to hear that particular nickname. "I'm just excited to be going home, is all."


End file.
